This study begins by discussing the commercialization of higher education. The commercialization of higher education is the transformation of public goods and services into products that are privately owned by individuals or corporations and sold for profit. Higher education is increasingly being treated by providers and consumers as a commercial product that can be bought and sold like any other commodity. The purpose of this study was to better understand how students perceive commercial behaviors in their institutions, the degree to which students perceive identified commercial behaviors as influencing their experience of teaching and learning, and how they experience the commercial conduct within commercialized educational environments. This study also aimed to explore how commercial behaviors influence students’ expectations for their higher education studies. Selecting the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and the Schulich School of Business at York University and their MBA students as the research population, this study revealed MBA students’ experiences and program expectations in a commercialized academic setting by employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, coupled with the framework of Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles of Good Practice in Higher Education as well as Gould’s Corporate Ethos. Data was collected by means of an on-line survey questionnaire and in-person interviews. The two case study business schools shared similar major quantitative findings that indicated that the studied commercial practices carried slim influence on the studied students’ experiences of teaching and learning. In addition, the practices of marketing strategies and customer service were evidenced to have more than somewhat of an influence on intensifying participants’ expectations of program characteristics, obtaining better professional skills and getting better knowledge in areas of expertise. The qualitative findings illustrated that commercial practices exerted different levels of influence on MBA students’ experiences of teaching and learning as well as their expectations for their MBA. Qualitative findings in many cases also revealed that MBA students care more about future rewards and career advancement than learning.

Government policy for economic development across Scotland and the UK is driving an increasing number of strategic alliances in higher education to achieve economies of scale and economies of experience. Higher education institutions have been encouraged through strategic funding to further develop externally facing university-business engagement. Effective collaboration could theoretically produce the advantage of a better student experience and, at the same time, make the market for higher education more competitive. Collaborative structures are complex including the interaction between the people or agents who work within and between them. The challenge is how such collaboration can best be organised to deliver across organisation boundaries. The purpose of the study was to explore and report on a causal story of collaborative practice by examining the insider perspectives of the people engaged in collaborative strategic projects in higher education. Collaboration is defined as a relationship which is mutually beneficial to organisations to achieve common aims, including the structure, roles and relationships within collaborations. The study considered one such strategic project, the Scottish HE Employability Forum,in particular, the lived experience of the members of its project management group and was informed by the evidence based literature. The interpretivist qualitative approach to the study, with semi-structured interviews, represented one specific time interval of the participant voice considering the set-up, implementation and evaluation of the strategic project. The data analysis and findings confirmed a priori themes, for example, the need for trust building, effective leadership and strategic planning. A principle emergent theme was that the notions of agency and reciprocity were not mutually exclusive and impacted on the causal mechanisms and explanation of observed behaviours and relationships of the participant members. A conceptual framework from the current study is presented suggesting themes of collaborative activity being comprised of a broader pattern requiring relational behaviour, expert and champion roles for successful collaboration. A series of recommendations is given for collaborative practice; for project management, effectiveness and sustainability along with key messages of knowledge transfer and learning.

This thesis explores the implications of the changes in the political and social conceptions of higher education and the resulting crisis of higher education in the UK. The specific focus is placed on business schools as institutions operating in increasingly competitive management education markets, and on postgraduate students as key stakeholders that are largely neglected in academic and public discussions. It explores how the emerging characteristics of the management education, such as the reliance on specialised rankings and corporate-inspired business school designs, influence student perceptions of the purposes of education and their experiences of their chosen the programmes of study. In doing so, the thesis draws from theoretical discussions on mechanisms for mediation of market values and principles to students. Specifically, the thesis focuses on commodification of education through commensuration and standardisation embedded in specialised media rankings, and the representation of market values through the features of business school space. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted over a period of one academic year with 61 students enrolled on a postgraduate taught (MSc) programme in Management at a reputable UK business school. Data was collected on student behaviours, activities, opinions and views, as well as on their relationship with their social and organisational surroundings. Student views and perceptions were gathered through observations, informal conversations and 20 in-depth interviews from the chosen programme. Additional interviews with 12 postgraduate students from other schools informed the discussion by providing insights into the similarities and differences between student perceptions and experiences in different institutional settings. Data collection was supplemented with secondary data, including policy documents and visual data. Contrary to the prescriptive, linear and goal-oriented perspective on students dominating contemporary academic and policy discourses, findings suggest that students experience education as a messy and a transformative process, with ambiguous and uncertain outcomes. The thesis contributes to academic debates on the social roles and functions of specialised rankings by providing insights into the nature of the student consumption of rankings, and their influence on student experiences. Furthermore, it contributes to the literature on the implicit and informal elements of business school settings by recognising space as an active and constitutive part of student experience. The thesis challenges the prevalent institutional and political reduction of students to consumers of education, and instead implies that student experience should be treated as a complex, multi-layered and, above all, fluid process. In doing so, the thesis offers a novel approach towards a more comprehensive understanding of the roles and purposes of higher education in contemporary society.

With the growth of technology-enhanced language learning comes increased use of online applications and interventions in language education. The articles in this dissertation consider the role of technology in online language courses taught at Brigham Young University. Three perspectives on the use of online speaking labs are considered. The first article considers the Conversation Café, an online speaking lab intervention, from an evaluative perspective. Usage, user perceptions regarding effectiveness, and financial viability of the café are evaluated. Findings reveal student usage is not as high as required in coursework, students have a more favorable perception of the intervention than faculty and teaching assistants, and that the café is not offered and staffed appropriately to meet financial viability thresholds set by stakeholders. The second article addresses the common perception that online courses lack elements of sociocultural theory. It reports on the approach the university took to the course development, sociocultural aspects of implemented interventions, and preliminary evaluative findings regarding the effectiveness of the interventions. The final article is a case study examining student experiences in online and face-to-face French speaking labs. This article considers student satisfaction with online and face-to-face labs as well as preference for one type or the other. Findings reveal student preference toward and higher satisfaction of the face-to-face. Negative student comments regarding the online setting in particular tended to focus on elements of convenience rather than aspects essential for learning. Implications for further research are discussed.

Research in the field of entrepreneurship education suggested the need for more studies that focus on the characteristics of the pathways to entrepreneurship education. Previous empirical work in this field has largely been driven by uncovering the link between entrepreneurship education and its impact on students, while fewer researchers have focused on the alignment between the components that constitute entrepreneurship education. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the contextual factors affecting entrepreneurship courses (design and delivery) and their subsequent effects on student perceptions of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education across multidisciplinary programmes within a higher education institution. A key aspect of this study was to determine whether students across disciplines were inspired and stimulated by the content and pedagogical aspects of their courses. In this mixed method convergent parallel design study, the qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews, presenting the narrative of ten educators teaching in entrepreneurship education. For the quantitative component, survey questionnaires were administered to a sample of 640 students across multidisciplinary programmes at a higher education institution. These surveys were designed to capture the student perceptions of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education, as well as their experience of the entrepreneurship course. Key findings of this research identified four factors affecting entrepreneurship education courses within the higher education institution as those of: course design and delivery; institutional impact; educator aspect and the student aspect. Analysis of the student aspect established the influence of contextual factors affecting student perception including: employment aspirations; prior exposure to entrepreneurship education; socio-cultural influence; employment confidence and student experience of the course. This study proposed a conceptual model presenting a framework for teaching in entrepreneurship that highlights the need for an alignment between the factors affecting entrepreneurship education. This conceptual framework therefore provides a map for (a) higher education institutions aiming to implement entrepreneurship education without assimilating its entrepreneurial flavour, (b) curriculum designers of multi-disciplinary programmes and course planners of entrepreneurship education, and (c) educators in entrepreneurship education aiming to develop not only their teaching practice in this field but also enhance their career trajectory in an fast evolving field of education. Firstly, this study contributes to the growing field of research in entrepreneurship education as it is offered within the higher education system, particularly in South Africa where keen efforts are directed at improving and developing this field through current and ongoing initiatives and implementation plans. Secondly, this research also offers an insight into the challenges faced by educators teaching in entrepreneurship, the positioning of entrepreneurship education courses, particularly within multidisciplinary programmes taught at university level and the dynamic of the student input factor. Considering these insights could provide opportunities for improving entrepreneurship education curricula within the higher education institution, not only from a course design perspective but also in the way courses are delivered. Further expectations from this research would be to promote the status of institutionalised entrepreneurship education courses within the higher education community and to acknowledge the written and unwritten role and expectations of educators in this field. This should encourage opportunities for faculty training and development in entrepreneurial learning, benefitting both educator and student.

No description available.

Augmented Reality (AR) is fast-growing technology that has proved itself in many applications, including manufacturing environments. Manufacturing engineers benefit in an industrial environment by harnessing this technology in the workplace to guide workers through a variety of tasks. It is no longer a question on whether it is useful, but what are the best ways of applying the technology. Currently there are no published studies on ways to use augmented reality in a Manufacturing Engineering Educational Environment (MEEE). This study examines various ways that AR can be used in an MEEE setting and assesses the value of such applications. This study examines several different ways of creating and implementing AR and assesses whether there are notable gains from the use of AR over written instructions that are commonly used to teach in university environments. One portion of this research looks at instruction created using CAD based models to animate steps and uses model tracking and overlay to tie the experience to reality. A second type of AR uses video, audio and spatial tracking to guide the user through an experience without the use of any CAD model overlay. These two methods were presented to research subjects on either a Hololens 2 or a smartphone. Results showed that both methods of AR presentation were superior to written instructions. Students were able to complete instruction with fewer interventions and rated their experiences in regards to satisfaction and attention particularly highly. It was found that although there is a large wow factor associated with using the Hololens 2, the practical application favors the integration of AR with a smartphone. Research subjects are already familiar with smartphones, so asking them to use them for AR instruction was a seamless task. The Hololens 2 is a new and exciting technology that is on a steep learning curve with glitches that hamper immediate adoption although it will undoubtably grow in use over time. Overall, the use of AR as a teaching tool was met with enthusiasm, and results indicated that it was an effective teaching tool in an MEEE.

yes / The Royal Academy of Engineering, together with the Higher Education Academy Engineering Subject Centre, organised one of the two Dissemination Seminars at University of Bradford. This event was for the project leaders of funded engineering projects under their three calls, opened between March 2010 and March 2011. / Royal Academy of Engineering, National HE STEM Programme.

With the number of adult undergraduate students and the competition for these students at an all-time high, educators and administrators must have an understanding of how to not only attract these individuals, but to retain them throughout their educational careers. Recognizing the diverse needs of adult students and the importance of retaining them should be a major priority for colleges and universities. For higher educational institutions attempting to attract and retain the adult student population, a clear understanding of their experiences was warranted. This research utilized a qualitative design that focused on adult (defined as age 24 or older) undergraduate students currently enrolled at a major land-grant institution. An interpretive case study was undertaken to examine the adult students’ perception of their experiences. Questions were designed to learn (a) what the students perceived as barriers to their educational journey, (b) what the students perceived as factors contributing to their success, (c) how their experiences at the land-grant institution impacted their lives; and (d) how the students perceived the services and policies of the land-grant institution. Interview data were supplemented by data gathered from document analysis, reflective journals, photographs, and researcher field notes. A total of 14 themes were identified within the various categories. With regards to barriers, the most frequently mentioned themes included (a) role conflict (b) time management, and (c) institutional barriers. The most frequently mentioned themes related to factors enabling success included (a) being a role model, (b) parental support, (c) student support, (d) faculty/staff support, and (e) internal desire. The most commonly mentioned themes related to how their experience has impacted their lives included (a) sense of self, (b) broader view of the world, and (c) goal setting. Finally, with regards to university services and policies, the most frequently mentioned themes included (a) advisement, (b) orientation, and (c) technology training. Analysis of the data and findings established the basis for recommendations and comments that may be useful to administrators and faculty in an effort to establish the most efficient and effective services and policies necessary for the recruitment and retention of the growing adult student population.

This text reflects on the perceptions of “native” and transfer agricultural students during their time at a Mississippi land grant university through a quantitative survey to all undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University. This research used an ex post facto survey to look at perceptions of native and transfer students enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University and determine if there were significant differences between the two groups in constructs of student experience. This study identified transfer and native students’ perceived collegiate experience in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University using an online survey. The findings from this study show no statistical significance between native and transfer students for any of the four constructs, but find a median value for all constructs to be higher than neutral on a Likert scale.